{ When I was a boy, I wanted to be a fireman. Of course, I also wanted to be an astronaut, a cartoonist, and an MTV VJ, but that was all later. First I wanted to be a fireman. I'm not even sure I knew what a fireman did. I just knew that they got to ride around in a big red truck, wear cool hats, and play with fire. I wanted in. That was all a very long time ago. I never did become a fireman. But once, when I was eleven, I came close. }